groseclose



Feb. 4, 1958 o. GROSECLOSE 2,822,137

RAILWAY RAIL STRUCTURES v Filed Feb. 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HUI INN Q uu u mfi u u u u FIG.6

INVENTOR.

LEVI O. GROSECLOSE BY ATTORN EY United States Patent RAILWAY RAIL STRUCTURES Levi 0. Groseclose, Kirkwood, Mo., assignor of small percentages to various assignees Application February 5, 1954, Serial No. 408,404

4 Claims. (Cl. 238-231) This invention relates in general to railroads and, more particularly, to certain inventions in rail structures therefor.

Current railway rails have a length in the neighborhood of 40 ft. and are generally of T-shaped cross section being provided with a head about 1% in. in height and having a tread or wheel bearing surface of approximately 2 /2 in. in width. The end surfaces of such rails are disposed in planes normal to the longitudinal axis of the respective rail. Rail joints are formed by presenting the end surfaces of successive rails in face to face relationship, and the adjacent end portions of the webs of such successive rails are secured to fish plates or joint bars which extend between, and are secured to, the pair of immediately adjacent ties or sleepers. Railway joints of this character have become increasingly unsatisfactory as the speed of the rolling stock and the weight thereof has increased, despite numerous expedients attempted heretofore. The ends of the rails, forming the joint are constantly falling and then rising, or so-called flexing, during passage thereacross of rolling stock. The wheel pressure produced by the weight of the rolling stock will cause the first rail end being traversed to sink and, accordingly, the wheel must rise a corresponding amount in passing onto the end of the succeeding rail whereupon this latter end will be similarly depressed. Such flexing action of the rails will impress an undesired shearing force between same and the fish plates and will cause the development of stresses within the central portion of the rail as the same will be thrust upwardly upon depression of the ends. These stresses will tend to rupture the rail fibers and, hence, render the rails unsafe. This rising and falling of the rail ends in some cases approximates 4 to 5 in., and requires added power by the locomotive, which is obviously uneconomical. Furthermore, from the standpoint of comfort, passengers have accepted as necessary unpleasantnesses the uneven movement of the car caused by this rocking action of the rail ends, and the customary clicking noise of such action.

With the ever-expanding usage of diesel engines the dangerous inadequacy of existing rail structures becomes most apparent. Diesel engines usually weigh in the range of 650,000 to about 1,000,000 lb. having a length of 65 ft. or more, and are provided with forward and rear sets of wheels which are separated by distances up to about 45 ft. Consequently, the load is supported at the ends of such engines, as distinguished from the more dispersed load of steam engines by means of a plurality of sets of driver wheels located between the locomotive ends. Wheel pressures created by diesel engines subject the rail ends to relatively greater depressing force with the result that the related upward bulging of the central portions of the rails will reach or exceed the limits of bending stress.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a rail structure for railways which is adapted to resist the pressures imposed by rolling stock whereby maximum ice safety against rerailment through rail rupture is achieved.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved railroad rail structure of relatively increased height and having a relatively enlarged tread or wheel bearing surface.

Another object is to provide a railroad rail joint wherein the confronting ends of adjacent rail sections are positively engaged to each other and are also secured to fish plates so that alignment is at all times maintained.

A further object is to provide a fish plate for railroad rail joints which is of such length as to be securable to substantial portions of the webs of adjoining rails and is adapted for surface engagement with the head and base of the rails to provide maximum friction for transmission of great horizontal strain from one rail to the next as well as to resist any applied shear forces.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a fish plate which is engageable to the rails by a novel keytype lock joint which permits of longitudinal play of the rails through expansionor contraction under influence of climatic conditions.

Another object of this invention is to provide railroad rails adapted to cooperate for formation of an expansion joint, with which is associated resilient means for urging the rails into aligned relationship.

These and other detailed objects are obtained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings (two sheets) in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of the main line of a railway having rails constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side view of the rail structure.

Figure 3 is a transverse horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the rail joint.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a portion of a main line of a railway incorporating an expansion joint constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8 is a side view of the expansion joint. Figure 9 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 8. a

In the drawing, there are shown main railway tracks, each of which is comprised of a plurality of rail sections 1 in joint-forming relationship at their ends, as at a, and each having a length of approximately 40 ft. and being of general T-shape cross section. Each rail, embodies a head 2, a vertical web 3, and a flanged base 4. The upper or tread surface of head 2 lies within a horizontal plane, being rounded at its side edges and having a width of about 5 in. whereby a substantial wheel bearing surface is provided. On its under sufrace, head 2 forms the usual shoulders 5 in conjunction with web 3, which is about 4 in. in vertical extent and is presented in a plane normal to that of the upper surface of head 2. Base 4 is slightly greater in width than head.2, being approximately 6 in. in that dimension and is of reduced thickness relative to said head 2. The upwardly presented surfaces of the flange portions of base 4 are in planar parallel relation to the under or bottom surface thereof, with the side margins being parallel to each other and in planes perpendicular to the said upper and lower surfaces.

Rail 1 has end surfaces 6, 7, which are parallelto each other and oblique to the sides of the rail, being each rather than rectangular as in existing rail structures,

said second rail having a transverse groove provided in its confronting end face for reception of said tongue member, said second rail having aligned vertical openings communicating with said groove and being axially normal thereto, the tongue of said first rail having an opening therethrough for alignment with said vertical openings of said second rail when the tongue is received within said groove, and a locking bolt for reception within said openings.

3. A railway joint com-prising first and second rails in end to end relationship, the confronting end surfaces of said first and second rails being vertically oblique and complementary to each other, a tongue member provided on an end of said first rail and extending thereacross, said second rail having a transverse groove provided in its confronting end face for reception of said tongue member, said second rail having aligned vertical openings communicating with said groove and being axially normal thereto, the tongue of said first rail having an opening therethrough for alignment with said vertical openings of said second rail when the tongue is received within said groove, said second rail further having a horizontally extending bore opening at one end in said groove and being axially normal thereto, said first rail having a horizontally extending bore opening at one end in the tongue member for alignment with the said horizontal bore of said second rail, and locking bolts for extension through said aligned openings and aligned bores.

4. An expansion joint for railways comprising first and second rails in end to end, joint-forming relationship, the confronting end portions of each rail being vertically oblique and complementary to each other, a tongue member provided on an end of said first rail and extending thereacross, said second rail having a transverse groove provided in its confronting end face for reception of said tongue member, said second rail having aligned vertical openings communicating with said groove and being axially normal thereto, the tongue of said first rail having an opening therethrough for alignment with said vertical openings of said second rail when the tongue is received within said groove, said second rail further having a horizontally extending bore opening at one end in said groove and being axially normal thereto, said first rail having a horizontally extending bore opening at one end in the tongue member for alignment with the said horizontal bore of said second rail, locking bolts for extension through said aligned openings and aligned bores, said oblique end portions being formed on a relatively small angle whereby said end portions are of relative length, each of said rails having web portions, said webs having aligned elongated apertures in the oblique end portions of said rails, retaining bolts extending through said aligned elongated apertures for relative movement therein whereby longitudinal play of the rails is permitted, and a coil spring encirclingly disposed about each bolt outwardly of each rail web for hearing engagement thereagainst to urge said rails toward each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 271,573 Christy Jan. 30, 1883 288,378 Stevens Nov. 13, 1883 335,458 Kellow Feb. 2, 1886 473,162 Nelson Apr. 19, 1892 632,734 Mercer Sept. 12, 1899 698,606 Wellen Apr. 29, 1902 820,573 Heun May 15, 1906 850,982 Toman Apr. 23, 1907 948,097 Jenrich Feb. 1, 1910 952,959 Stricker Mar. 22, 1910 1,059,831 Chambers et al Apr. 22, 1913 1,074,524 Palmer Sept. 30, 1913 1,104,406 Calfee July 21, 1914 1,114,395 Siwak Oct. 20, 1914 1,172,009 Compton Feb. 15, 1916 1,772,391 Evers Aug. 5, 1930 2,193,262 Wisenor Mar. 12, 1940 2,345,691 Wagner et al. Apr. 4, 1944 2,710,147 Baumann June 7, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES Cambria Steel Rails, vol. II, 1900, published by Cambria Steel Co., Philadelphia, Pa. (Copy in Division 34.)

The Lorain Steel Co., catalogue, September 1, 1899, Lorain, Ohio. (Copy in Division 34.)

Feb. 4, 1958 P. c, OLIVE IMPACT. CRUSHERS s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jun 9, 1954 FIG.

F a e. s.

. "INVENTOR PAUL 0. OLWE ATTORNEYS 

